With respect to Mr. Romneys assertion that Russia is our number one geopolitical foe, the truth of the matter is that America has a whole lot of challenges, said the president. Russia is a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbors, not out of strength, but out weakness. Ukraine has been a country which Russia had enormous influence for decades, since the break-up of the Soviet Union, and we have considerable influence on our neighbors, we generally dont need to invade them in order to have a strong cooperative relationship with them. The fact that Russia felt compelled to go in militarily and laid bear these violations of international law indicates less influence not more. So my response then continues to be what I believe today, which is: Russias actions are a problem. They dont pose the number one national security threat to the United States. I continue to be much more concerned when it comes to our security with the prospect of a nuclear weapon going off in Manhattan. said Obama. President Barack Obama commenting on comments of Mitt Romney accusing the President of naivete in dealing with Russia at the Hague March 25, 2014. Mitt Romney is correct. The President has demonstrated an embarrassing level of naiveté on the international stage in his dealings with the Russians. The Russians smelled weakness and knew we would do nothing of consequence to stop their annexation of the Crimea. The Presidents characterization of the Russians actions as acting in weakness demonstrates the Presidents fundamental lack of understanding of foreign policy, Russia and history. Explain to the Ukrainians who just lost 10,000 square miles of their country, had their military personnel surrounded and effectively imprisoned, their bases stormed, a soldier killed and now the eastern half of their country threatened how Russia is acting in weakness. The President is right that the United States has many security threats and that Russia is not the greatest security threat. However, his limp response to a flagrant aggression of international law and treaty obligation has created an enormous security threat. It has demonstrated that Europe, despite its protestations has effectively become Finlandized and will do nothing to block a resurgent militant Russia. The United States, who in the past has been the one to lead and prod Europe into realizing it is in their best interest to take a stand has chosen to engage in a feigned and ineffectual war of words with the Russians, who have and will promptly ignore the impotence of the West to take effective action. The Presidents lecture to his critics that the Russians actions demonstrate weakness is ineffectual and frankly embarrassing. Did Hitler demonstrate weakness in protecting the Slovaks by invading Czechoslovakia? Did the Soviets demonstrate weakness invading Hungary in 1956? Czechoslovakia in 1968? Afghanistan in 1979? Did the Argentines demonstrate weakness in 1982 by invading the Falkland Islands? Did Saddam Hussein demonstrate weakness in 1990 when he invaded Kuwait? The suggestion is absurd. Winston Churchill said it best, “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.” The Presidents suggestion of a nuclear bomb in Manhattan is alarmist and defeatist. It is designed to draw the publics attention away from his catastrophic failures on the world stage in an irresponsible fear mongering fashion. He has proven that the United States is weak and has no desire to stand by treaty obligations (in 1994, the U.S. agreed to guarantee Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity and seek immediate Security Council action if either were threatened). Weakness has signaled to our enemies and the enemies of freedom that they are free to operate with impunity. Weakness has demonstrated to our friends that we cannot be relied upon when they are threatened.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 20:41:45 +0000
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